Improved iron-clad vessels



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD MONTGOMERY, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED IRON-CLADVESSELS.l

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,727,.dated March 1S, 1862.

To @ZZ whom/.it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD MONTGOMERY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Im provements in Naval Architecture, called the Montgomery Corrugated Iron-Clad Var-Vessel; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification.

On Plate No. l, Figure l represents a section of the broadside of a war-ship or gunboat having a series of angulated recesses, with port-holes and openings for projectiles to pass through the vessel. Fig. 2 shows a cross-section through the war-vessel, the angulated sides, and the hollow conductor, which also make the beams for supporting the gundeck. Fig. 3 isa detached view of one section of the angulated sides or funnel to glance the projectiles. Fig. 4 shows another section of the funnel with sharp projecting angles and curved sides.

On Plate No. 2, Fig. 5 represents a section of the broadside of a vessel coated above the water-line with a series of corrugated plates transversely xed and secured to the frame of t-he vessel both inside and outside. Fig. 6 shows a cross-section through a gunboat, the

deck-beams, and corrugated archcovering,

and an end view of the laminatedplates.

The nature of my invention consists in giving additional and great strength and security to the sides of vessels for war purposes by securing to the sides of war-vessels above the Water-line aseries of angulated recesses, by which. projectiles may be glanced into an opening and pass through the vessel or be brought to spend their force against that porv tion supported by the ends of the beams which extend across and support the gun-deck.

To enable others skilled in the art to make, apply, and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it land its adaptation more fully, referring to the drawings, and to thelettcrs of reference marked thereon.

The letters indicate the same parts in all of the several figures.

Plate No. l shows the angulated mode of strengthening and protecting the sides of warvessels and parrying of the blows.

Plate No. 2 shows the manner of giving sufn iicient strength to resist the force of any ordinary projectile upon the broadside to the corrugated ribs A, which constitute the frame of the hull. I firmly secure the sheathing of corrugated metal ad, which runs around and forms a strong and durable covering for the hulls of vessels and is of itself suiiieiently strong to resist the action of the winds and waves of the most violent storms; but for war purposes I firmly secure to the sides or the covering a a a coat of mail consisting of laminated and corrugated iron, arranged and applied in the modes hereinafter fully described.

The figures on Plate No. l show the mode of constructing the shield bya series of angulated recesses B,which are firmly fastened to and extend entirely around the hull of the vessel, leaving sharp projecting edges b b alternately with the recesses B, corresponding with the ends of hollow tubes C, which answer the purpose of beams to support the gun-deck and brace the sides of the vessel, they being open on both sides, so that projectiles entering may pass through or in place of the tubes or hollow beams C there may be solid beams of iron or timber, so that the force of a projectile striking will be glanced into the recess and spend its force upon the spot or place on the sides of the vessel thus supported, which will be equivalent, or nearly so, to a solid mass of many feet in thickness. In each of the sharp angles b b, or in as many as may be desired, I make port-holes i for cannon, which are completely casemated by the angulated covering B B, the guns and gunners being very little exposed to the iire from the enemy. The projectile will be parried off and be found to be comparatively harmless.

fOn Plate No. 2, Figs. 5 and 6, is my other mode of shielding vessels and gunboats from being greatly damaged by projectiles. To the corrugated covering a a and frame A, I secure horizontally and extending entirely from the bow to the stern a shield of laminated plates D D, the layers being vertical and of sufficient width to resist almost any force that could be brought to bear against them on the outside, and over the ,laminated plates D D are bolted plates of metal d d, which may bc either corrugated or plain. These plates CZ d, which form the outer covering, may be put on so as to be water-tight. There may be placed transverselybetween the ribs or frame AA aseries of laminated plates ff, and again I across the inside maybe another series of laminated plates F F, placed longitudinally, so that resistance may be had tO almost any force that can be brought to bear against it.

To coverand protect the decks of gunboats, I form an ellipsis or arch of corrugated or plain metal G to glance Off the shot or shell and otherwise protect the craft. f

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 

